Device useful in forming concrete structural slabs

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for placing and removing temporary decks or forms on which concrete is poured to form a structural slab, such as a roof or floor, is constructed of a panel formed of two portions and provided at its opposite ends with curved, turned-down end extensions which rest at their turned-down ends on preformed supports such as joists or beams. The curved end extensions are coextensive in width with each portion of the panel to which they are attached. Adjacent one of the curved end extensions the panel portions are hinged. During pouring of the concrete, the portions of the panel are prevented from hinging by a suitable latch. After the concrete has hardened, release of the latch permits downward hinging of the panel and falling away and removal of the entire form assembly from the concrete without binding thereto.

United States Patent 1 Sept. 5, 1972 Martin [54] DEVICE USEFUL IN FORMING CONCRETE STRUCTURAL SLABS [72] Inventor: Sidney L. Martin, 6520 S.W. 79th Court, Miami, Fla. 33143 [22] Filed: March 25, 1971 [21] App1.No.: 128,053

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 784,289, Dec.

10, 1968, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl ..249/25, 249/195 [51] Int. Cl ..E04g 11/36 [58] Field of Search ..249/20, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 249/30, 34, 39, 40, 163, 189, 195; 25/131.5 A, 131.5 B, 131.5 C, 131.5 D

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,415,554 5/1922 Hatch ..25/131.5 B 583,099 5/1897 Tompkins ..'....249/25 629,636 7/1899 White ..249/25 2,012,616 8/1935 Miller ..249/25 1,652,056 12/1927 Selway ..249/24 1,914,033 6/ 1933 Miller ..249/24 2,609,585 9/1952 Ledbetter ..249/25 2,557,631 6/1951 Callan ..249/39 X Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-John S. Brown Attorney-Meyer Neishloss and Alvin E. Ring [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus for placing and removing temporary decks or fonns on which concrete is poured to form a structural slab, such as a roof or floor, is constructed of a panel formed of two portions and provided at its opposite ends with curved, tumed-down end extensions which rest at their tumed-down ends on preformed supports such as joists or beams. The curved end extensions are coextensive in width with each portion of the panel to which they are attached. Adjacent one of the curved end extensions the panel portions are hinged. During pouring of the concrete, the portions of the panel are prevented from hinging by a suitable latch. After the concrete has hardened, release of the latch permits downward hinging of the panel and falling away and removal of the entire form assembly from the concrete without binding thereto.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEBsEP' 51912 M/I/L-WTGQ. SIDNEY L. MART/1V DEVICE USEFUL IN FORMING CONCRETE STRUCTURAL SLABS This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 784,289, filed Dec. 10, 1968, now abandoned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a removable apparatus for supporting poured concrete in the form of substantially horizontal structural slabs until the slabs have hardened. Briefly, the apparatus comprises a panel formed of two portions, one portion being a continuation in the same plane of the other portion, said portions being joined by hinging means adjacent one end of the panel, curved end extensions attached at opposite ends of the panel to each portion thereof and adapted to rest at their turned-down ends on preformed supports, the curved end extensions being coextensive in width with each portion of the panel to which they are attached, latching means for preventing hinging while the concrete is being poured and is hardening and permitting downward hinging and falling away of the entire apparatus from the concrete after it has hardened, whereby the apparatus may be removed without binding to the concrete.

THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view after the concrete has been poured, with a portion of the side flange partly broken away to show the latching means in closed or locked position;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but after the concrete has hardened, the latching means has been released and the apparatus is beginning to hinge and fall away from the hardened concrete slab; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 showing the apparatus fully hinged and ready for complete withdrawal and reuse.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown as the supporting means or form for a structural slab, such as a floor or roof to be formed from poured concrete, a sheet steel panel member formed of two portions 1 and 2. In the horizontal positions of the portions, portion 2 of the panel member is a continuation of portion 1 in the same plane as the latter. The two portion are joined by and rotatably mounted on a hinging means, such as pin 6, adjacent one of the ends of the panel member.

Panel portion 1 is provided with side flanges 3 and panel portion 2 is provided with side flanges 4, the flanges having a strengthening function for the panel portions and depending vertically from both edges of the panel portions to which they are attached along the length thereof. When the panel portions 1 and 2 are in their horizontal positions, flange 4 is a continuation of flange 3 in the same plane thereof. As shown, the contiguous ends 30 and 4a of flanges 3 and 4 are so constructed as to form complementary angles from the vertical, thereby permitting relative movement of panel portions 1 and 2 with respect to each other.

The panel member is also provided at each opposite end thereof with downwardly curved or turneddown end extensions 8 and 8a attached respectively to portions 1 and 2 of the panel member across the width thereof. The end extensions are thus coextensive in width with portions 1 and 2 of the panel member and are adapted to rest at their turned-down ends on previously placed supporting members 7 for the entire panel or form assembly. The joists 7 are shown in the drawings as preformed concrete, but they may be steel I-beams or such other suitable supports as bar joists or the top surfaces of other vertical building forms. As shown, the described form assembly may be surrounded by as many other identical form assemblies as may be necessary to provide a concrete structural slab of the desired size.

As indicated, portions 1 and 2 of the panel member are joined by pin 6, about which each portion hinges, pin 6 being adjacent one end of the panel member. This construction results in the turned-down end extensions 8 and 8a being eccentrically hinged. This hinging action enables the end extensions to tilt down and be removed from the space they have formed out in the concrete without binding to the hardened concrete. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, side flange 3 and lever arm 5, to be described later, are rotatably mounted on pin 6, and being attached directly, as in the case of flange 3, or indirectly, as in the case of lever arm 5, to portions 1 and 2, respectively, of the panel member, cooperate with pin 6 to provide the described hinging.

In order to maintain the panel assembly in a locked horizontal position while the concrete is being poured, but to permit hinging and removal of the assembly after the concrete has hardened, a latching means is provided. Thus, the side flange 4 carries attached thereto a lever arm 5 in a plane displaced sufficiently behind the plane of side flanges 3 and 4 to allow relative movement of the flanges. Lever arm 5 extends a sufficient distance beyond pin 6 so that the lever arm may be engaged and disengaged by the pin or bolt 10 of any suitable latch 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the latch 11 is mounted on the undersurface of panel portion 1.

In operation, with the entire form assembly being in place as shown in FIG. 1, the latching means securing and preventing hinging of portions 1 and 2 of the panel assembly about the pin 6, as shown in FIG. 2, concrete 9 is poured over the entire surface of the form assembly, including end extensions 8 and 8a as well as the joists 7, to form the desired structural slab upon hardening.

As shown in FIG. 3, after the concrete has hardened sufficiently to permit removal of the form assembly, the latching means is disengaged from lever arm 5 by pulling on bolt 10 and the lever arm is then pulled downwardly. The downward force exerted on the lever arm exerts a hinging action on portions 1 and 2 of the panel assembly causing them to fall away downwardly from the hardened concrete slab 9 and displacing and tilting down the end extensions 8 and 8a from their original resting positions on the supporting joists 7. Continuing the downward force on lever arm 4 causes the end extension 8a attached to portion 2 to be completely removed from the concrete slab 9, and permits removal of the opposite and extension 8 at will.

As is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, notwithstanding that the end extensions 8 and 80 were completely covered by hardened concrete, they have formed out the concrete overlying them and have thereby provided their own spaces for removal as they tilt down when a downward force is applied to them. The result is that the entire form assembly can be removed from the hardened concrete without binding.

The apparatus of this invention has the advantage of not being clogged with hardened concrete. This permits the ready withdrawal and re-use thereof after the concrete has hardened. It has the further advantage of being easily set in place entirely from above without requiring scaffolding, and is easily removed from below after the concrete has hardened.

Although the panel portions 1 and 2 have been described as being made of sheet steel, portion 1 maybe made of wood with portion 2 and its appurtenant parts being made of metal. In addition, instead of being used as the panel form itself, the apparatus of the invention may be used simply as a removable supporting bar, with a width on the order of 1% inches, for ply wood decking or other suitable concrete support forms.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the length of the panel member may vary or be made adjustable, if desired, according to the spacing of supporting members 7.

What is claimed is:

l. Removable apparatus for supporting poured concrete in the form of substantially horizontal structural slabs resting on preformed supports, comprising:

means for supporting said poured concrete comprising a panel formed of two portions,

one portion being a continuation in the same plane of the other portion,

said portions being eccentrically hinged by being joined by hinging means adjacent one end of said panel for downwardly hinging and causing falling away of said panel portions from the concrete after hardening thereof, ends of said panel to each panel portion, said curved end extensions being turned down for resting at the turned-down ends thereof on said preformed supports,

said curved end extensions extending along the width of each panel portion to which they are attached,

latching means for preventing said hinging of said panel portions while the concrete is being poured and for permitting said hinging after the poured concrete has hardened,

vertically depending side flanges attached to each of said panel portions, said side flanges having contiguous ends which form complementary angles from the vertical, said side flanges being rotatably mounted on a single pin to form the aforesaid hinging means, and at least one of said side flanges partially overlapping to other to form a lever.

2. Removable apparatus for supporting poured concrete in the form of substantially horizontal structural slabs resting on preformed supports, comprising:

means for supporting said poured concrete comprising a panel formed of two portions,

one portion being a continuation in the same plane of the other portion,

said portions eccentrically hinged by being joined by hin in m ns ad'acent ne endof s id anel f r dov nv ard i? hinging and causing fall p 0 mg away of said panel portions from the concrete after hardening thereof,

curved end extensions attached at opposite ends of said panel to each panel portion, said curved. end extension being turned down for resting at the turned-down ends thereof on said preformed supports, said curved end extensions extending along the width of each panel portion to which they are attached,

latching means for preventing said hinging of said panel portions while the concrete is being poured and for permitting said hinging after the poured concrete hardened,

vertically depending side flanges attached to each of said panel portions, said side flanges having contiguous ends which form complementary angles from the vertical, said side flanges being rotatably mounted on a pin to form the aforesaid hinging means, the side flange attached to one of the panel portions carrying a lever arm, and said lever arm extending sufficiently beyond said pin to be engaged by and disengaged from said latching means. 

1. Removable apparatus for supporting poured concrete in the form of substantially horizontal structural slabs resting on preformed supports, comprising: means for supporting said poured concrete comprising a panel formed of two portions, one portion being a continuation in the same plane of the other portion, said portions being eccentrically hinged by being joined by hinging means adjacent one end of said panel for downwardly hinging and causing falling away of said panel portions from the concrete after hardening thereof, ends of said panel to each panel portion, said curved end extensions being turned down for resting at the turned-down ends thereof on said preformed supports, said curved end extensions extending along the width of each panel portion to which they are attached, latching means for preventing said hinging of said panel portions while the concrete is being poured and for permitting said hinging after the poured concrete has hardened, vertically depending side flanges attached to each of said panel portions, said side flanges having contiguous ends which form complementary angles from the vertical, said side flanges being rotatably mounted on a single pin to form the aforesaid hinging means, and at least one of said side flanges partially overlapping to other to form a lever.
 2. Removable apparatus for supporting poured concrete in the form of substantially horizontal structural slabs resting on preformed supports, comprising: means for supporting said poured concrete comprising a panel formed of two portions, one portion being a continuation in the same plane of the other portion, said portions eccentrically hinged by being joined by hinging means adjacent one end of said panel for downwardly hinging and causing falling away of said panel portions from the concrete after hardening thereof, curved end extensions attached at opposite ends of said panel to each panel portion, said curved end extension being turned down for resting at the turned-down ends thereof on said preformed supports, said curved end extensions extending along the width of each panel portion to which they are attached, latching means for preventing said hinging of said panel portions while the concrete is being poured and for permitting said hinging after the poured concrete hardened, vertically depending side flanges attached to each of said panel portions, said side flanges having contiguous ends which form complementary angles from the vertical, said side flanges being rotatably mounted on a pin to form the aforesaid hinging means, the side flange attached to one of the panel portions carrying a lever arm, and said lever arm extending sufficiently beyond said pin to be engaged by And disengaged from said latching means. 